I'm going to get this out of the way right now though. This show uses fanservice as a means of buying your attention and at times it can be infuriatingly bad because of it. Despite this however, the show does attempt to use most of it for the sake of progressing the stories and the characters so to a point it can be forgiven. The fanservice is not as bad as some might lead you to believing and it is at its worst towards the beginning and levels off fairly quickly. I'm not a person who automatically loathes nor condones fanservice so long as sexualtiy is a theme in the story or characters and is at least used for building. Kill la Kill is a good example of a show that uses sexuality and fanservice to convey a message. Cross Ange however falls a bit short in this reguard. The fanservice most of the time is just that, fanservice. But to the show's credit once the ball gets rolling it focuses on the characters and the story first.
With that out of the way, I will move on to what I enjoyed. The story was quite good. I never got to the point where I was bored with a setting or a situation because the plot stayed dynamic and the stakes kept rising. The world is interesting and you get a better understanding of things as the story progresses. That said it isn't quite perfect. It does use some conveniences and a couple of twists are a little hard to believe but these are minor problems.
The Art and Sound I rated about the same. They were both fairly standard with nothing terribly eye-catching or ghastly. The DRAGONs have fairly unique designs though I wish they would have been fleshed out a little better with a little more distinct variety. Additionally the Para-mails and later the Ragna-mails could have used more variety, unlike a show like Code Geass where different models are distinct yet clearly from the same base, the Mails from Cross Ange are mostly generic with slight color changes just so you can tell who is who. Additionally the show makes use of some stock footage which I noticed more and more towards the end and of course CGI. Nothing spectacular but I didn't hate it. The First OP was by far my favorite while the second was a bit lack-luster to me, as were both primary ED songs. The internal soundtrack doesn't include too much that was overtly interesting. The three character songs were interesting and I wish I had that Operatic vocal track on loop but oh well.
The meat and potatoes of this show is the characters. Watching Ange evolve through the course of the story was a treat and was a pleasure in comparison to the rather stagnate female characters and archetypes of other shows in recent history. At her worst she is a bit of a typical tsundere but she makes up for it at her best. The supporting cast is also fairly enjoyable. Some could have been played up or been more involved but I forgive them as it is a fairly large cast and it is a fairly short run or episodes. The main support cast are all lively and like Ange all go through a metamorphosis as the show progresses. All of the characters have stakes that effect their decisions and none of the characters seem to make choices merely because "the plot demanded it." Friends become enemies, enemies become friends. It's a dynamic experience to be sure. My only complaint is with two characters, Julio and Sylvia. Anybody who has seen Code Geass: Lelouch of the Rebellion will recognize these characters immediately as they seem to have been pulled straight from that anime, Sylvia in particular at first glance seems to be a Nunnaly clone (admittedly with some twists that I won't spoil) and Julio is a slightly more interesting Clovis Clone.
*Since I have brought it up I also wish to bring up that this anime has taken some major inspirations from Code Geass: Lelouch of the Rebellion, which works for better or for worst. Both follow an anti-hero character who is an exiled royal who are fighting against the status quo with science and magic constantly getting involved. Don't get me wrong, I like Code Geass and it was fun spotting the inspirations but I do wish they would have striven to be a little more subtle. But beyond that I don't think it ruins the integrity of Ange's story.
I loved Cross Ange: Rondo of Angels and Dragons. I binge watched it over the course of three days and I wouldn't mind owning it on my shelf at home. Despite its problems I was happily watching along and I couldn't wait to see what was coming next.
Overall Cross Ange is a bit of an underrated gem. Yes it has problems but I think the good outweighs the bad in this scenario. Yes, it uses boobs and robots to attract a shonen audience, but so did Aim For The Top: Gunbuster, the anime that I hold as my all time favorite anime, and that show had visible nipples. Cross Ange despite its flaws and despite its fanservice is worth the watch. I highly recommend it. Just give it a shot.
